Hillcrest School students on Thursday rested on tooth-shaped chairs and strolled through a 10-foot-tall esophagus.

WooChan Lee, a first-grader at Hillcrest School tests his muscle strength during a tour of a human body exhibit where students learn how to eat smart and exercise. The Body Walk contains 11 stations where activities focus on making healthy choices to improve all areas of the body.

It was all part of a larger-than-life exhibit called Body Walk, which was meant to teach children about the importance of good nutrition and physical fitness.

“What it really is, is to let the kids know how the body works and to maybe give them some firsthand examples of why we keep talking about: eat right, eat your vegetables, eat your fruits,” said Sandra Walker, physical education teacher at Hillcrest.

The 35-by-40-foot exhibit took up the entire gym.

Students began their tour of the human body in a huge brain-shaped dome.

Inside, they experienced “brain wave” vibrations and learned about brain function. Volunteers were stationed throughout other body parts in the exhibit – mouth, esophagus, stomach and intestines – to teach children how healthy choices affect the body.

• 6News video: Students take tour inside human body (12-01-05)

“It was fun!” said kindergartner Isabel Hardy as she exited the small intestine exhibit. “We learned about eating healthy food and no smoking.”

The Body Walk exhibit was developed and is operated by the Kansas State Department of Education.